


Revised Proposal

by Ithly



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9181945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithly/pseuds/Ithly
Summary: Aaron's disappointed Robert never officially got down on one knee and cheekily wants to make Robert re-do it... Inspired by Aaron's idea, Robert feels compelled to deliver the most epic monologue of his life.





	

This time it's more simple than the last. They're at work reminiscing about the day of their proposal and how it went south, sat in the frigid portacabin with tea to warm them up. Adam's been pulled away for a few hours by Vic as per their fertility schedule. Aaron's disappointed Robert never officially got down on one knee and cheekily wants to make Robert re-do it. He can’t help but feel some lingering guilt that his own recklessness ruined Robert's plan, and his heart still flutters imagining what would have happened if they'd never left the barn. Inspired by Aaron's idea, Robert feels compelled to deliver the most epic monologue of his life. 

From Robert's perspective, Vic was right; something about using your proposal to backtrack on your own stupidity by reassuring your boyfriend that you do actually want to be with him is ..... not so romantic. Not to mention Aaron's dubious reaction to the picnic he'd set up, which implied, fairly or unfairly, that this type of soppiness made Aaron uncomfortable. Not that that was a bad thing! After all, Robert had a history of taking Aaron out of his comfort zone and causing him to dissolve into a mess of awe and affection. And if you thought Robert had trouble finding the words when he was rehearsing with Vic, you'll be relieved to know that seeing Aaron nearly die (again) made him throw away all the pretense. He grabs Aaron by the hand and swings him out of his chair, telling him to stand before him as he gets down to one knee. Aaron can't help but giggle. "I didn't mean you had to be this soft, you know." 

"Shut up. I'm not letting you say another word until I'm finished." Aaron rubs one eye with the end of his sleeve, smirks, and nods for Robert to continue.

"I know I'm the biggest idiot in the world. I know I made things difficult for you before. Not just difficult, I caused so much pain that you inflicted more on yourself. I still find it hard to forgive myself for that. To be honest, I don't really know if I'll ever deserve your forgiveness either. And even though I've chosen you, there will still be times when I make mistakes, but you have to know. You have to understand. As misguided as my behavior can sometimes be, it's all, always, forever, because of how much I love you. I've never met someone in my _life_ that makes me feel the way you do. I feel safe, I feel like I can be honest, and you make me a better person. In fact, you make me _want_  to be a better person, which is a miracle in and of itself! 

"And it's not just that... I see things in you that I've never seen in another person. You're so deeply good, so caring, and you never gave up on me, as much as I know you wanted me to think that you did. And I know that was to protect yourself. From me, really. Because I didn't deserve you. I still don't. But you have to know that every day of our lives I will try to be better than the day before. Better to you, better to myself. And by the way, can I just say? Cut the crap about being hard to love. If you weren't so easy to love we wouldn't have gotten ourselves in such a mess in the first place, would we have?"

Aaron turns his head slightly sideways, confused.

"Don't act like you don't know it. I couldn't help myself around you. I became a walking disaster. Chrissie could have been enough if I didn't know there was anything better. If you'd asked me to picture the perfect person for myself, yeah, maybe she'd have been it. Because I though that was what I wanted, what I needed. But the truth is, never in a million years, even if I _tried_  to imagine the perfect person, would you have been it. I guess my imagination is just another thing in my long list of faults."

Aaron's starting to look a bit dejected, not sure where this is going or if it's actually meant to be flattering, but, true to his word, not saying a thing. Robert sighs, shifting from one knee to the other and stretching to give his back some relief. "Okay, say it, I'm doing this all worse than the first time, aren't I? How about you give it a shot?"

Aaron's laughing now. He can't help it, that poor lanky thing stuck there on the floor. "No chance, mate. You're the one who decided to propose way back in the first place. You have to finish the job.' 

"The job's already done, Aaron. The ring is on your finger. This is for show. For you. So I can be the soppy romantic fool you always wanted me to be."

Aaron pulls Robert off the floor now so they can discuss this at eye level. "Robert. I never wanted you to be soppy. I never needed romance. I just needed YOU. I just needed you to be there, to be able to put me first. I just wanted to be the only one. That would have been enough. It is enough." 

Robert's suddenly overcome, sitting back down in his chair with a thud, just trying to process it all. "So you're saying I can return the rings, then?"

"Oh, fuck you, and get back on the floor." Robert does, obediently, and then he's trying to get his mind back to all the soppy things he was trying to say but keeps thinking about the affair, that one week at Home Farm when Aaron was the happiest he'd ever seen him and, come to think about it, Robert was the happiest he'd ever been too.

"Hey Aaron, remember during our week at Home Farm when I asked you what you wanted out of life? And you told me you didn't know, that you take it day by day. And as long as what you had made you happy you didn't feel like you needed anything else?"

 "I can't believe you remember that."

"I remember it so vividly. Because I couldn't understand it. I thought you were wrong, obviously. I didn't think it was possible. But I get it now. That was one of the best weeks of my life."

"How could it not have been? I mean, you, me, a giant bed, junk food. What else could you need?"

"Only I was a little hungry because it's not like we spent much time eating."

"Whose fault is that? Privacy AND warmth was a rare occurrence back then."

"So now you're telling me you didn't appreciate how much work I went to to find us our own spaces? The barn wasn't warm enough after I got you going? That desk over there wasn't the most enticing place to get bent over?"

Aaron laughs, but Robert can see in his eyes he's getting turned on. Well, considering how far back he has to tilt his head back to see Aaron's face he only needs to keep himself looking at eye level to get all the confirmation he needs. "So are we done with this charade now? Because I feel like doing some reminiscing."

**Author's Note:**

> I did love the proposal, but I wished there had been some more dialogue about what they mean to each other.  
> AARONDINGLESTEARS.TUMBLR.COM


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